Self-supporting roof or wall structure



Nov. 10, 1964 J. MESNAGER SELF-SUPPORTING ROOF OR WALL s'rRucTuRE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 18, 1960 /f) I a/Dr /a, ug pi s/1 a ar Nov. 10, 1964 J. MESNAGER SELF-SUPPORTING ROOF 0R WALL STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 18, 1960 United States Patent O 3,156,070 SELF-SUPPORTING ROOF R WALL STRUCTURE Jacques Mesnager, 132 Rue de Rivoli, Paris, France Filed July 18, 1960, Ser. No. 43,613 Claims priority, application France, Feb. 21, 1956, Patent 1,143,163 9 Claims. (Cl. 50-12) The present application is a continuation-in-part of the prior application Ser. No. 640,115 entitled Self-Supporting Roof or Wall Elements Made of Bent or Corrugated Sheet Metal filed on February 14, 1957, now abandoned.

This invention relates to a self-supporting roof or wall structure.

A roof structure is already known, as described for example in the British Patent No. 728,209 to same applicant, which consists of corrugated roof elements disposed between composite girders.

In a roof structure of this type the roof members consisting of angle-irons are not used as covering elements. On the other hand the elements interconnecting the various composite girders are not used whatsoever as roof supporting elements.

It is the essential object of the present invention to provide a self-supporting roof or wall structure whereby any intermediate support may be dispensed with while covering relatively wide spans with the minimum weight of metal.

It is another object of this invention to provide a roof structure whereby the supporting trusses may be dispensed with and therefore to reduce the height of the con-struction without reducing the height available inside it.

Furthermore, this invention has for its object to provide a self-supporting roof structure to be used both as an arched roof structure and as a plane roof structure.

- It is a further object of this invention to provide a selfsupporting roof or wall structure characterized by a very long useful life and by a relatively low cost.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a self-supporting roof structure according to this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a modified embodiment of the roof structure of this invention.

FIGURE 3 is a cross section showing on a larger scale a typical flange member with one portion of two adjacent webs.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view showing a roof element and a wall element according to this invention, the two elements being joined together; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a modified embodiment of the roof structure of this invention.

In FIG. 1 the self-supporting roof structure comprises identical members designated as a whole by the reference numerals 1 and 2. The upper members 1 and the lower members 2 (of which only one is visible in FIG. 1) are disposed on either side of an median plane S constituting the neutral median surface of the roof. This structure is adapted to bear on two parallel bearing lines of which only one, the line L is shown in chain-dotted lines in FIG. 1.

The members 1 and 2 are comprised respectively of corrugated plates 3 and 4, the direction of corrugations 3a and 4a of these plates extending at right angles to the direction of the bearing line L Webs 5 consisting essentially of corrugated plates having their corrugations 5a disposed at right angles to the corrugations 3a and 4a of the members 1 and 2 interconnect the upper members 1 to the lower members 2.

In the specific form of embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 curved sheet plates 6, 7 are provided for interconnecting the corrugated web 5 and the members 1 and 2. The sheet plate 6 is welded at 6a and 612 respectively on the web 5 and on the longitudinal edge 3b of the plate 3 carried by the upper member 1. Similarly, the sheet plate 7 is welded at 7a on the corrugated web 5 and at 7b on the longitudinal edge 4b of the corrugated plate 4 of the lower member 2. Also secured by welding on the web 5 are sections 8 adapted to transmit respectively to the bearing elements 11 and 12 the vertical stress transmitted from the webs 5. Intermediate stiffening elements similar to the bearing members 11 and 12 are secured under the corrugated plates 3 and 4 through any suitable means, notably by welding between the bearing members.

The roof structure illustrated in FIG. 2 consists of upper members 21 and lower members 22 having a substantially cylindrical mean section of which the generatrices are parallel to the bearing lines L and L As in the form of embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the members 21 and 22 are disposed alternately on either side of the median surface S of the structure which in this case is of cylindrical configuration. The members 21 and 22 are provided with transverse bearing members 23 and 24 respectively, which are disposed under the corrugated plates of the flange members 21 and 22. The longitudinal edges 21b and 22b of the flange members are interconnected by means of webs 25 extending symmetrically with respect to a vertical plane perpendicular to the hearing lines L and L The bearing members 23 and 24 are interconnected by sections 27 secured in turn on the webs 25 from which they transmit the stress to the bearing members 23 and 24. The webs 25 consist of corrugated sheet metal plates of skew mean section having for their directrices the longitudinal edges 21b and 22b. The corrugations 25a of webs 25 extend constantly at right angles to the corrugations 21a and 22a of members 21 and 22.

Intermediate stiffening members 26 similar to the hearing members 23 and 24 support the flange members be tween these bearing members.

FIG. 3 illustrates more in detail the method of assembling the stiffening member 26, upper member 21 and adjacent webs 25. The stiffening member 26 is welded at 26a on the corrugations 21a of the member 21 and at 2615 on the. corrugations 25a of webs 25. On the other hand, the longitudinal edges 21b of the member 21 are also welded on the transverse edges 25b of webs 25.

In FIG. 4 there is shown a self-supporting roof structure constructed according to the teachings of thisinvention, which bears'on a wall structure also constructed according to the teachings of the invention. The roof structure comprises upper members 31 and lower members 32 interconnected by webs 33. Similarly, the selfsupporting wall structure comprises outer members 34 and inner members 35 interconected by webs 36. All

the component elements of the members are rigidly assembled by means of transverse stiffening members disposed beneath the members and therefore not visible in the figure.

The corner 37 along which the roof is connected to the wall consists of a broken line bound by lines along which the members 31 and 34- are interconnected, the webs 35 and 36 are interconnected and the members 32 and 33 are interconnected.

In FIG. 5 the self-supporting roof structure illustrated comprises upper members 41 and lower flange members 42. These members consist of corrugated sheet elements of which the mean section consists of a surface having a 3 fold line contained in a plane parallel to the bearing lines of which only the line L; is shown in the figure, and curved generatrices contained in planes extending at right angles to said bearing lines.

In this case the transverse bearing members 43 and 44 associated with the members 41 and 42 respectively are also of curved configuration consistent with the shape of these members. As in the preceding forms of embodiment, webs 45 having corrugations extending at right angles to those of the members 41 and 42 interconnect the longitudinal edges 41a and 42a of these flange members. The webs 45 have skew mean sections of which the fold lines are the longitudinal edges 41a and 42a of the flange members.

Sections 46 secured on the webs 45 transmit the shearing stress from the webs to the horizontal bearing members 43 and 44.

Intermediate stiffening members 47 similar to the bearing members 43 and 44 support the members 41 and 42 between the bearing members.

Although I have described my invention with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What I claim is:

1. A self-supporting roof structure adapted to bear on two parallel bearing lines comprising, in combination, a first plurality of corrugated sheet members having substantially parallel grooves and ridges and longitudinal edge portions substantially parallel to said grooves and ridges and substantially normal to said bearing lines, said first plurality of corrugated sheet members being arranged substantially parallel to each other and in two groups respectively located spaced from and on opposite sides of a medium surface of said structure, with the members in each group spaced in direction transverse to said longitudinal portions thereof and with the members of one group located between adjacent members of the other group; and a second plurality of corrugated sheet members having each substantially parallel grooves and ridges and longitudinal edge portions extending substantially normal to said grooves and ridges of said second plurality of sheet members, said second plurality of sheet members extending respectively between adjacent longitudinal edge portions of said two groups of first corrugated sheet members and fastened along said longitudinal edge portions thereof to the respective longitudinal edge portions of said first plurality of corrugated sheet members.

2. A structure as defined in claim 1 in which said two groups of said first plurality of corrugated sheet members age respectively arranged in two substantially parallel p anes.

3. A structure as defined in claim 2 in which said second-plurality of corrugated sheet members are respectively arranged in planes substantially normal to said two substantially parallel planes.

4. A structure as defined in claim 1 in which said first plurality of sheet members are curved in direction of their grooves and ridges,

5. A structure as defined in claim 4 in which said first plurality of sheet members are also curved in a direction transverse to the grooves and ridges thereof.

6. A structure as defined in claim 5 in which said two groups of said first plurality of sheet members are oppositely curved in said transverse direction.

7. A structure as defined in claim 5 in which said two groups of said first plurality of sheet members are op positely curved in said transverse direction with the convex sides of said transverse curvatures facing away from each other.

8. A self-supporting roof structure adapted to bear on two substantially horizontally arranged and parallel bearing lines spaced in direction of the span of the roof from each other comprising, in combination, a first plurality of corrugated sheet members having substantially parallel grooves and ridges and longitudinal edge portions substantially parallel to said grooves and ridges and substantially normal to said bearing lines, said first plurality of corrugated sheet members being arranged substantially horizontally, substantially parallel to each other and in two groups respectively displaced in a vertical direction from each other, with the members in each group spaced in direction transverse to said longitudinal edge portions thereof and with the members of one group located between adjacent members of the other group; and a second plurality of corrugated sheet members having each substantially parallel grooves and ridges and longitudinal edge portions extending substantially normal to said grooves and ridges of said second plurality of sheet members, said second plurality of sheet members extending respectively between adjacent longitudinal edge portions of said two groups of said first plurality of corrugated sheet members and fastened along said longitudinal edge portions thereof to the respective longitudinal edge portions of said first plurality of corrugated sheet members.

9. A structure as defined in claim 1, and including a plurality of elongated stiffening members extending respectively along said first and second plurality of sheets and being respectively attached thereto, the stitfening members attached to said first plurality of sheets extending transverse to the corrugations of said first plurality of sheets and the stiffening members attached to the second plurality of sheets extending substantially parallel to the corrugations of the latter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,186,297 Hunnebeck Jan. 9, 1940 2,290,195 MacMillan July 21, 1942 2,586,934 Gerber Feb. 26, 1952 2,742,114 Behlen Apr. 17, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 478,484 Great Britain Jan. 19, 1938 497,000 Great Britain Dec. 8, 1938 728,209 Great Britain Apr. 13, 1955 OTHER REFERENCES Keasbey et al.: Pamphlet publication of K&P Co., Ambler, Pa., published 1949, page 3, AIA Files No. 12F. 

1. A SELF-SUPPORTING ROOF STRUCTURE ADAPTED TO BEAR ON TWO PARALLEL BEARING LINES COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A FIRST PLURALITY OF CORRUGATED SHEET MEMBERS HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL GROOVES AND RIDGES AND LONGITUDINAL EDGE PORTIONS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID GROVES AND RIDGES AND SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO SAID BEARING LINES, SAID FIRST PLURALITY OF CORRUGATED SHEET MEMBERS BEING ARRANGED SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER AND IN TWO GROUPS RESPECTIVELY LOCATED SPACED FROM AND ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF A MEDIUM SURFACE OF SAID STRUCTURE, WITH THE MEMBERS IN EACH GROUP SPACED IN DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO SAID LONGITUDINAL PORTIONS THEREOF AND WITH THE MEMBERS OF ONE GROUP LOCATED BETWEEN ADJACENT MEMBERS OF THE OTHER GROUP; AND A SECOND PLURALITY OF CORRUGATED SHEET MEMBERS HAVING EACH SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL GROOVES AND RIDGES AND LONGITUDINAL EDGE PORTIONS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO SAID GROOVES AND RIDGES OF SAID SECOND PLURALITY 